Spell weaving essentially is a skill-and point-based
alternative to the standard vancian casting-system for arcane magic. By
manipulating the strands of reality itself, hidden from the eyes of regular
folks, Spellweavers can duplicate effects of regular spells. They do so
vianew int-based class-skill called
spellweaving. In order to counteract the difficulties associated with skills
being usable as often as one would like, the base-class Spellweaver also
features a number of weaves per day. This means that every spell costs only one
weave-attempt, but the DCs naturally vary. The base-class of the Spellweaver is
what you'd expect of a primary caster: d6, 1/2 BAB, good will save, 2+Int
skills per level. Spellweavers start with 4 weaves per day and can reach up to
40 at 20th level, suffer from arcane failure chance and similar traditional
penalties just as much as their regular counterparts, but in order to
counteract their supreme flexibility, their way of spell-casting naturally
comes with a sort of penalty: If they botch their weaving attempts, the results
can be dire indeed and result, when greatly overstepping one's boundaries in
casting the equivalent of high-level spells too soon, in even death. No one is
keeping the weaver from trying, though - potentially, this can lead to rather
exiting situations at the table.

Note that not every botched attempt has to have severe
repercussions and a rather complex table is provided. It should be noted that
topics like collective weaving, weave-traps etc. are covered as well, making
the spell-weaver feel distinct beyond his access to a wide array of known
magical forces.

To make matters more exiting, the concept of
weave-saturated areas (i.e. places of power) is introduced as well, making for
a neat take on the trope of ley-lines and similar places of power( or dead
magic). The interaction of spell-weaving and regular casting is given quite a
detailed depiction and spellcraft, dispelling and spellweaving the divine is
covered as well - depending on the DM's world, the gods may frown upon those
who seek to usurp the powers they grant their faithful, potentially
necessitating +3d4 DC to weaving divine spells. For those wanting to completely
exchange the vancian casting system advice is provided as well as advice on how
to handle PrCs not originally designed for the Spellweaver and how to handle
tweaking them.

No PFRPG class would be complete without the
customization options provided by archetypes and thus the Spellweaver also
provides some: The primal weaver weaves rather intuitively (thus more unstable)
and can fall into weave-powered rages. The Puppet Master is essentially the
enchantment/manipulation specialist, the Reader uses his ability to perceive
the weave to better avoid damage and learns to extend his/her senses and the
Weaver Shaman follows a shamanistic understanding of the weave as a kind of
anima universalis.

Prestige Classes specifically designed for the
spellweaver are included in the package:

-The Battle Weaver (d8, 2+Int skills, full BAB, medium
fort, 7 level casting progression) is a kind of barbarian/spell weaver gish
that can imbue his weapon and armor with the power of the weave.

-The Cartomancer (d4, 4+Int skills, 1/2 BAB, medium
will-save, full spell-progression) is an intriguing concept: By expanding
senses over the weave, these fellows can create maps of surrounding areas, but
without giving all the details like furniture and inhabitants away. At higher
levels, their clairsentient powers improve and become more precise. I'm not
sold on the d4 HD, though - according to PFRPG-design standards, that should be
a d6, especially due to this PrC being anything but too strong.

-The Fated (d6, 4+Int skills per level, 1/2 BAB,
medium will-save, full spell-progression) are another matter entirely - they
can, via the weave, manipulate destiny itself and borrow skills and feats and
even bar their foes from using them via their mystic connection to the weave.
An interesting class, for sure, but one that necessitates careful watching.

Next up is a new race, the Ardekh - spiderlike
humanoids that worship the weave and would make for disturbing characters: They
get their full age, height & weight tables, +2 Dex and Int, -2 Cha,
Darkvision 60 ft., Weave Sight as a bonus feat, +2 natural armor, all-around
vision (immunity to flanking when not flat-footed), +2 to Spellweaving, a
climb-speed of 20ft. (and +8 to climb checks) and reduced penalties for
fighting with multiple weapons. In case you didn't notice by that array of
powers, a "challenge-rating adjustment" of +2 is presumed till level
6, then +1, hitting one of my absolute pet-peeves: I always hated the
ECL-system of 3.5 and the balance-problems it brought and this essentially is a
ECL+2-race that does not conform with PFRPG-design standards, essentially
rendering the race's appeal as a player-race null and void. We also get 7 new
traits, 2 of which are for the new race.

Chapter 3 deals with feats and kicks off with a vast
list of feats and how they interact with spell-weaving - the level of support
provided is awesome and something that sets the pdf apart - it takes the APG,
Ultimate Magic and Ultimate Combat into account and lists them over several
pages before introducing us to 55 new feats. These new feats are rather
interesting, as they deal not only with weave-interaction, but also with adding
metamagic effects to weaves( thus increasing the DC). More interesting are the
elemental or specialization-style feats that increase the DC for e.g. spells
with the [fire] or [acid]-descriptor, but add a burning effect, temporarily
deafen foes etc. While limited in appliance, these feats do allow a
customization that is nice to see. Not all of them are what I'd consider
well-balanced, though: Thanatopic Spellweave for example, makes it possible to
use death and negative energy effects against undead or beings sheltered by a
death ward. The explanation is that the animating force is turned against them,
but the repercussions of this feat are rather wide and any ability that ignores
any protection from it, especially when it's such a feat, is wide open to
abuse. Plus: Undead can already be hurt via positive energy. Adding negative
energy to the mix just feels wrong to me. Spell Eater is another feat I
consider BROKEN: If you add +5 to the DC of a save you have to make and succeed
at it, you regain 1/2 the attacking spell's level, minimum 1 weaves. Can you
see what this feat will make the players do? Can you see the wizards casting
touch of fatigue unlimited times on their ally, the spellweaver regaining
1weave per save? I can, and I don't
like it. While most of the feats are well-designed, exceptions like these,
practically screaming "Abuse me" somewhat cast a tarnish on an
otherwise excellent chapter.

Chapter 4 then delivers the true meat f the book -
tables upon tables that e.g. contain the modifications to the DC for regular
respective levels of the spellweaver to cast (adding e.g. +27 for 9th level
spells at 1st character level, ensuring that no level 1 spellweaver will meteor
swarm foes to oblivion) and providing all the tools to convert e.g. 3pp-spells
to the spell-weaving system: Range, school (and sub-school), area of effect,
saving throw, duration, casting time etc. - everything influences the final DC
of the weave and the final chapter provides the basic DCs (still to be modified
by the weaver's relative level to the spell) of the spells from the Core-book,
the APG, UM and UC - an awesome convenience that takes a LOT of work off your
hands. Even better, an excel- calculator is included in the deal.

Finally, we get new weave-themed beasts: Apart from
the Ardekhs, we get the new Loomer-race (Cr 1/2 - evil djinn-influenced
creatures), varying weave-elementals, the weave-embraced template (CR +1),the undead Weave Haunt (CR 4) and the
spider-like weavelings (CR 3) as well as a variant of the rotgrub hazard tat
inhabits the weave. The pdf concludes with 4 pages of an extremely useful quick
reference appendix. A write-up of a weave-centric goddess is also included in
the deal, btw.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting were good, though not perfect:
Some lines that should have been bold weren't etc. More important, there are
some design-remnants of 3.5 unfortunately interspersed in an otherwise
excellent conversion, like e.g. the aforementioned d4. The flurry of blows
table of the weave dancer needs a revision. Layout adheres to a clear and
easy-to-read 2-column standard and comes with beautiful full-color artworks.
The pdf is fully bookmarked, comes with an artless, printer-friendly
b/w-version and the aforementioned calculator, which is nice (though the
calculator doesn't work with my version of excel - something you should be
aware of). Oh boy. This one is oh so hard to rate. On the one hand, we get a
neat, interesting alternate system of spellcasting that feels well-balanced and
not half as prone to breaking as I had expected, a vast amount of support and
stellar feats. On the other hand, we get a race with an ECL (that should be
either just an NPC-race or needs a revision), a d4 HD in a PrC, a faulty table
with another PrC and one little fact: As much as I liked the base-class, none
of the PrCs or archetypes for that matter felt truly compelling. The
cartomancer is a great idea, but feels a bit weak and like an excuse to give
player hand-out maps, something that could also be done via other investigative
means - this PrC actually needs MORE power. If you're looking for a skill-based
magic-system, the spell-weaver will cater to your needs and provide a cool,
flexible alternative to regular casters that could enrich e.g. a non-orthodox
magic tradition in your campaign.

Were I to rate the base-class and the basic
system/support provided alone, this would be 5 Rudii. If you're in for the
whole deal, you'll have to be aware of aforementioned rough-edges, though.
Should the 3.5-design-remnants I found be taken care of and e.g. the
Ardekh-race nerfed to the point of being usable as a player-race, I'd gladly
give the whole package 4 or even 4.5 Rudii. As written, though, some
rough-edges of a first foray into PFRPG-rules are still evident and diminish
the overall appeal of the book. Thus, for now, my final verdict will be 3.5 Rudii.

Ever wanted to know more about draconic parentage in humanoids? Fantastic Gallery has the Children of the Wyrm for you!

We all know that dragons can produce offspring and
that half-dragons exist as well as that many a sorceror draws his power from
his lineage. But what in-between? How does the transition from clearly draconic
being to dormant power happen? This pdf kicks in with a discussion of exactly
that by introducing the term "legacy" and discussing the transition
from 1st generation legacy half-dragon to draconic legacy sorcerors of up to
the 30th generation.

Starting at the beginning, the first complex template
we get is for the legacy half-dragon (CR +3), which includes natural attacks
for 3 sizes and 10 different draconic inheritances. Draconic inheritances
include breath weapons (which are always part of the package) and 3 different
sample legacies (bronze, silver and gold) à 3 recommended abilities that include
luck, faster flight and similar gifts. A CR 7 sample character is included to
illustrate the application of the template.

After that, we get the Quarter-Dragon (CR+2) complex
template, again with natural attacks by size and 5 draconic inheritance options,
again including breath weapons and 3 inheritances we already know from the
half-dragon. However, the quarter-dragon must use an inheritance to gain access
to a breath-weapon. Wings aren't included in the package either and thus one
inheritance can gain access to them. There's a formatting glitch that reads
"half-dragon" instead of "quarter-dragon" in the
breath-weapon entry. We get another sample character, this time a rather
complex one - a CR 13 quarter-dragon ninja! COOL!

One step further down the lineage, the greater
draconic legacy creature-template adds +1 to the CR (minimum 2) and gains
either a breath weapon, or one of 3 possible draconic inheritances, which we at
this point already know from the other templates. There's a formatting glitch that
reads "half-dragon" instead of "greater draconic legacy
creature" in the breath-weapon entry. Greater draconic legacy creatures
don't get a bite, but only claw attacks. We get a sample NPC at Cr 10 this time
a sorceress.

Finally, there's the lesser draconic creature (CR +1,
minimum 1), which can't get access to breath weapons, but to one of 3 draconic
inheritances and natural claws as weapons. Again, we get a sample character,
this time a rogue at CR 8.

Finally, there a kind of minor template, the draconic
legacy sorceror - essentially, the template/page describes how sorcerors of
draconic bloodlines and the templates in this book interact and how being a
half-dragon AND a draconic bloodline sorceror enhances the power granted by
one's lineage.

We also get 6 feats, ranging from being more agile
flyers to gaining an elemental aura, additional draconic inheritances,
additional breath-weapon uses and a 1st-level feat that bumps you up one step
on your lineage as well as the ability to add energy damage to your weapon. We
also get 6 sample traits that include improved natural healing and graceful
aging.

On the magic item-side, we get a lesser hat of
disguise, the hat of racial purity, that disguises one part of your lineage.
The Staff of the Dragon is an ok staff with thematically-linked powers and the
ring of draconic presence can frighten foes.

Finally, we get an optional one-page table on which
characters generated with this pdf can roll d%s to determine cosmetic features
that set the character apart like a snout, vestigial wings etc.

Part 2 of the pdf is rather interesting - it includes
information on pregnancy with draconic children of all varieties as well as
rules for the rather difficult birth and labor. While only a short section, it
comes with a variety of tables for the different kinds of draconic beings
introduced in this book and is the most innovative and, in my opinion, cool and
unique chapter of the pdf.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good - I only noticed
one minor formatting glitch, as mentioned in the review. The pdf is extensively
bookmarked and comes with an artless, printer-friendly additional version. Art
and layout are a good cue - The layout of this book adheres to a 2-column
standard and is STUNNING. Beautiful. Glorious. And the same holds true for the
GORGEOUS artworks. The cover is indeed just as beautiful as the interior
artwork - only 2 pieces, on page 23 and 24 fall short of a quality that could
be found in a paizo-publication. The artists Jon Hodgson, Talon Dunning,
Jonathan Kaufman, Matt Manard and Lorraine Schleter did a great job. The
content per se is neat, but before I get into details, I'll have to come clear.
I don't like half-dragons. I consider them overdone, predictable and a dilution
of draconic awesomeness, especially since the 3.5-days.

This pdf thus has a hard standing with me and
addresses at least some of my gripes with half-dragons, namely that they seemed
to exist in avacuum - no-one knew how
they gestated, how their blood dilutes etc. and this pdf acts as a
comprehensive guide that adds variety to them. The option to scale them and
their generational special features are rather nice, as they add to their
variability. The second chapter is especially worth a read. However, not all is
perfect in this supplement: My first gripe is that only the gold, silver and
bronze-bloodlines are covered. While I do realize that more would have expanded
the book, that's exactly what this one would need: Expansion. Evil bloodlines
for example. More options for draconic inheritances and coverage of at least
the basic kinds of dragons (or at least all the good ones in this and all the
evil ones in a companion pdf) would have been neat.

My second gripe with this pdf is that there is no
racial option that truly caters to draconic player characters, as all of the
templates add at least 1 to the CR. While depending on the player's options you
use this might not necessarily upset your game, the options presented herein
are more powerful than standard-races. That means players looking for a
PFRPG-variant of the Dragonborn won't find one in these pages, which is a huge
pity, as I think that the potential to create such abeing is definitely here and within the
capabilities of authors Talon Dunning and Shane O'Connor. If you don't like
Half-Dragons, this pdf will probably not change that. What it does, though, is
put them into a context within the overall setting and thus make them less
vacuous. Even better, the quality of the overall production and the price make
this a rather interesting book to make the by-now predictable half-dragon more
versatile. I fully expected to despise the book personally and approached it on
my reviewer-perspective. Surprisingly, I did enjoy what I finally read and
consider this pdf a worthwhile investment for DMs seeking to spice up draconic
characters in their game. If the pdf was longer and featured all draconic
bloodlines and more inheritances (perhaps even unique ones for different
age-categories) to choose from, I'd immediately score this 5 Rudii. As written,
I still consider this book a good resource with afore-mentioned minor
shortcomings, thus my final verdict will be 4 Rudii.

All right, that's it for now - see you next time around! As always, thank you for reading my ramblings,
Endzeitgeist out!